#1 Consumer Suggestion
AUTHOR: Don - Tampa (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, April 07, 2006
POSTED: Friday, April 07, 2006
Trish,
I am a member of a yahoo group that offers suggestions, tips, training, chat sessions, and more truthful information regarding Fairfield Resorts than anywhere I have found on the internet. There are more than 3,000 members to this group.
Do to the valuable information I have gained from this forum, I have learned how to get the vacation that I want, at the resort that I want, and how to beat Fairfield at their own game. When I go on vacations at Fairfield, I can stay at 2 or 3 bedroom units for 1/2 the price of a studio or one bedroom units.
I am not an employee of Fairfield or related to one. I am just an above average consumer of their product. In May, I will be staying for 7 nights in a 3 bedroom condo in Fairfield's Daytona Beach at Ocean Walk with an average cost of $39 per night. This cost is after factoring a 5% return on the capitol I paid for my purchase and paying the maintenance fees for the points used to book the vacation. This is a beach front resort, 3 bedroom condo, in Florida, in May for $39 per night! No timeshare presentation is required during my stay.
Needless to say, I am a satisfied customer.
#2 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Candie - Trafford (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, April 08, 2006
POSTED: Saturday, April 08, 2006
We are a young couple...early thirties with three young children and have been with Fairfield about 3 or 4 years now and with the exception of the first year we have always been able to go where we want to go. We have gone to Orlando, Daytona, Branson, Smokey Mts, Fairfield Glade, Nashville, Destin twice, and this June have two three bedroom cottages reserved at Myrtle Beaches Cottages and no we are not VIP's and only have 189,000 pts so far. I too have learned quite a few ways to beat Fairfield at their own game and would love to find this yahoo group...I'll do a search.
Trish...we have found good people within Fairfield and plenty of *bad* people that will tell you anything and everything to get you in. You will find that with just about any company...not just Fairfield. But we have never had most of the problems that others talk about...we enjoy our ownership and plan to keep buying more points. There are ways around things like what you went thru...ways you can get them to sit up and take notice. I hope you are able to get some satisfaction for the trouble they have caused you! Good Luck!
#3 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Michael - Kapolei (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, April 14, 2006
POSTED: Friday, April 14, 2006
Trish I know what you are going through. I paid $14,000 for a time share in Las Vegas 1 and 1/2 years ago with extra high maintenance fees supposedly for VIP treatment and have had nothing but threatening phone calls and demands for more money thrown at me. I have not been able to take one vacation since buying this crap. These responses on your report are obviously from Fairfield staff who are paid to try to do damage control after we victims speak out about this atrocity. This is a business that should be shut down. There is a class action lawsuit I will try to join. I suggest you try to join also. the email address is in the next few reports. Hopefully these criminals will be brought to justice.
#4 Employee
AUTHOR: Joe - Orlando (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
POSTED: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
I've read several complaints and I wonder why the new owners that I create never call on the cell number I gave them. Maybe it has to do with understanding how the company works.
I joined Fairfield in 2001 as a salesperson. In 2004 after seeing that it is probably the best run timeshare resort around I purchased 154000 and at the same time converted 462000 points from another resort I also own. I now make about 20 reservations per year and get free upgrades and discounts.
During the normal course of business I show guests the inventory available even if they want to check in the same day. When I was just RCI it was much harder. Many of my reservations are for week days which are about half the points. My maintenance fee is higher because I have more points. I don't think they could come closer to a perfect program but then maybe that's why they are by far the largest in the world.
#5 Employee
AUTHOR: Tiffani - Johnson City (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, July 10, 2006
POSTED: Monday, July 10, 2006
Do you know how many people work for fairfield, how many sister companys it has, who is the parent company. There are people who are happy with fairfield, it don't mean they work for them. O do work for them. Even if fairfield shut down there is still how many other timeshare companies are there that work the exact same way.
Good luck with figuring out how to get the time you want, my suggestion call all the time. That's what employees have to do. One of my coemployees just got back from ft lauderdale at our resort she called for a month straight, but she finally got in. Just put some effort into it.
#6 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Steve - Canby (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, July 10, 2006
POSTED: Monday, July 10, 2006
People that have to call for a month straight to get their time in a timeshare is a joke. The people that run this crap is in it for the money by trying to overbook the timeshare, or pick and choose who is the big money provider to get it. Get smart, reserve a long stay hotel room. Timeshares suck! Points are like sex, you never know what your going to get, if anything at all.
#7 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Christopher - Margate (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, July 13, 2006
POSTED: Thursday, July 13, 2006
Put your points on EBay and they will bought very quickly. This is further evidence that there are many happy consumers out there. 500,000 Cusomers- very few complaints here relative to that. It seems that most of the complaints come from non-owners. Again, sell your points on athe secondary market (a practice Fairfield Resorts frowns upon) and let somebody else enjoy them for a great price).
#8 Update By Author
AUTHOR: T. - Manassas (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, July 14, 2006
POSTED: Friday, July 14, 2006
We have tried for many months to sell this albatross. We have the lowest amount of points, so we are finding it extremely difficult to unload this timeshare.
#9 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Christopher - Margate (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, July 19, 2006
POSTED: Wednesday, July 19, 2006
I will buy your points and take over maintenance fees right now if you post it on EBay as no reserve and charge $0 transfer fees. I will take this "Albatross" off your hands right away.
#10 Update By Author
AUTHOR: T. - Manassas (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, July 20, 2006
POSTED: Thursday, July 20, 2006
Since this is in legal at this time, it cannot be sold. We have tried for 2 years prior to now to unload this timeshare. With your "enthusiasm", I guess that you work for Fairfield.
#11 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Mark - Lynn Haven (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, September 14, 2006
POSTED: Thursday, September 14, 2006
I live in Florida neer the panhandle and saw Fairfield ad and went for it.They offered me a stay in a Howard Jhonson suite, but the sales person told me I would be in a much nicer hotel. I called and said there must have been a mistake that we had agreed to something much better. That was the first clue.
She did up grade me to the Sheridan and i agreed. So push for better acomidations right up front and you'll get em. When we arrived our room wasn't in the main tower but in the villas off to the side, parking on site was extra by the way, so be prepared. The room was still a Ho Jo style room. typical one bath and two beds.
Part of the package was you must see the preseantage for the time share, so we planed for it and did attend. Get ready for HARD SELL because they have it, it makes Amway look like Ms. Smiths 6th grade class, these people are good, well practiced.
On the good side, they have a good product, if you pay ahead you will take the great Vacations that they put in front of you. I have been to their accomaditions and they are all that they said they were. I bought one and backed out on the 10 day forgiveness program because it didn't fit my current bank accunt.
There is more to this story but I'm out of lines. Good Luck They do have a good product. Watch the fine print.
Mark
#12 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Jose - Martinsburg (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, October 02, 2006
POSTED: Monday, October 02, 2006
Trish, I agree with you. I have had the same problem, even when we booked a whole year it still was not enough we would have had to book 3yrs in advance. I mean we arent trying to go to somewhere during spring break or anything. we can never get any time to get it and still pay fees for what to never use it. Its frustrating as hell.
#13 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Gail - San Francisco (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, October 10, 2006
POSTED: Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I think I've spent the last three months online researching ways to get out from under a timeshare I foolishly invested in a number of years back. I have been through the same run-around you describe, particularly the different answers from different people none of which resulting in anything more than confusion.
Not to mention the virtual impossibility of securing time in a property I "own" all while paying for ever increasing yearly maintenance fees. I've finally decided, after weeding through (not to mention trying and failing) countless options to offload my timeshare altogether. I'm using a service called Timeshare Relief. They do charge a fee but the end result is no more timeshare. It's a complete title exchange. It took some math and some mapping out but for what I've paid them to remove this beast from my life I've actually ended up saving money seeing how I've been throwing it out the window for several years on something I never see or can use. If it helps at all I've done my homework on the issue. There are a lot of people out there who don't like the idea of these guys though in my experience most of their motives are questionable and I'd go so far as to say they are all, in one way or another, affiliated with timeshare sales.
The sad reality is that making a profit on a timeshare isn't a reality. In many cases you can't give them away and while you're trying to find a way out they continue to suck you dry. My advice is to get the hell out as soon as possible and these Timeshare Relief fellas offer a real and viable option on that end. My heart goes out to you. Best of luck!
#14 Ex-Employee
AUTHOR: Joe - Beech Grove (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, December 15, 2006
POSTED: Friday, December 15, 2006
Joe - Orlando, Florida
Ther is a joe from orlando on other fairfield ripp off reports who doesn't admit to being an employee also defending the company! He also fails to mention he has enough points to be V.I.P. Gold status giving him extra options. Oh yea he also fails to point out that as a salesmen he can go to the front desk where he can speak to someone who isn't on commission and has the time to sit and search aimlessly. They also have a line for him to call directly and speak the best and most experienced booking agents.
Christopher - Margate, Florida
there is also a chris from margat on other reprots, that defends fairfield. However he quits defending them when you point out that he just happens to be from the sam city as Fairfield HQ.
see - ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff179871.htm
The bottom line is that I use to meke reservations most of those who called said they had been lied to by salesmen. I have been to two presentations, both I was lied too! As an employee I passed my info all the way From Nancy Grindstaff (Head of theIndianapolis call center) to the CEO several years ago. Nothing has changed!
#15 Consumer Suggestion
AUTHOR: Glenn - Windsor (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, December 30, 2006
POSTED: Saturday, December 30, 2006
I recommend a Yahoo group - fairfield_timeshare. There is more knowlede there than anywhere on how to use your points. I believe Don - the first respondant referred to the group.
Glenn
#16 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Theo - Riverdale (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, January 03, 2007
POSTED: Wednesday, January 03, 2007
We too are in that same boat like you Trish just floating around in the sea of timeshare scam.
Hey Christopher from Margate, Florida I have one in Daytona, FL with beachfront view. Plus a week banked in RCI. Interested? 154k points.
#17 Consumer Suggestion
AUTHOR: Joe - M (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, May 26, 2007
POSTED: Saturday, May 26, 2007
I am also a member of the Yahoo Group referenced twice in these postings. There are great word files to download once you join (free, just apply) that explain line for line on how to get the best out of FF.
They explain how to deposit 28K points into RCI and use it to book a 2 bedroom that would cost 180K regularly. I just came back from FF Ocean Walk at Daytona Beach and I got 3 units (One for my family, one for Mon & Dad (who cancled at the last minute) and one for my SIL's family) and we all had a tremendous account. We did get called second class owners by the FF people there, but who cares, we go on great vacations on the cheap!
Joe
